Young people create DVD to help beat bullying
Students at King Edward VI College in Nuneaton turned filmmakers to come up with an innovative way to raise awareness of bullying.
Over the past couple of months students at the sixth form college have been working hard to write the scripts for and produce a DVD about bullying and create an associated resource pack to be used by schools.
Through collaboration with Warwickshire County Council, copies of the DVD and the packs which include a lesson plan, questionnaire and posters, will be distributed to schools and colleges throughout Warwickshire as part of National Anti-Bullying Week from 17-21 November.
A special viewing to launch the DVD was held at the college on Tuesday 11 November. Students and their families were joined by members of the local community, including the Mayor and Mayoress, representatives from Warwickshire County Council and partner schools, the Chairman of Warwickshire Crimebeat, and governors.
The project was co-ordinated by students Adam Beales and Brittany Dean-Ballard, they were responsible for securing funding for the project writing the scripts and carrying out filming. Overseen by staff members, other pupils from the college were also involved in acting out the two scenarios featured on the film, as well as helping with planning and production of the final DVD.
Adam and Brittany are part of the successful Anti-bullying peer mentorship scheme which has in place at King Edwards since early 2007. The college has seven peer mentors who offer a listening ear and support and advice to fellow students about issues relating to bullying and self-esteem. As part of this role the mentors are involved as members of the county’s Anti-bullying Steering Group and it was through their involvement at these meetings that the idea for the DVD formed.
Brittany said: “We thought the DVD would be a really effective way of reaching young people who might be affected by bullying. We thought this would be a good way to create something that would benefit our own college and the steering group has enabled us to get the message out to other young people at schools and in groups around the county.
“This is an topic I feel passionate about and writing the scripts gave me a better understanding of the issues involved. We tried to avoid stereotypes and challenge young people’s ways of thinking in the setting the scenarios we chose and I really hope this comes across and the film encourages anyone out there who is being bullied to seek help.”
Adam Beales went on to say: ”We used our own experiences as mentors to develop ideas for the DVD and did a lot of research which we wanted to pass on as practical advice.
“That’s when we came up with the idea of putting together a resource pack for other schools to use, which includes a poster, sample lesson plan and flyer which tells young people where they can find help.”
To help fund production of the DVD and resource packs, the enterprising students secured a grant of £380 from Warwickshire Crimebeat. The Chairman of Warwickshire Crimebeat, Roger Wiglesworth, commented: ”Crimebeat works in partnership with many organisations such as Police, Youth Services, Princes Trust, schools and Colleges. These partnerships enable and empower young people to take ownership of issues relevant to them in their community. I congratulate the students on this outstanding DVD, it’s extremely pleasing to see this idea developed into a successful project which will make a positive contribution to the local community.”
Jane Brown, who is a counsellor at the College, commented: ”I’m really proud of what the students have achieved. This was not an enrichment activity so all those involved have dedicated their own time over the past few months to make this a success.”
Viv Sales, Principal Education Social Worker Warwickshire County Council and steering group member said: ”I have been so impressed by the energy, maturity and commitment of the students from the college who have been attending our Anti-Bullying Steering group. In addition to producing the DVD, which is an accessible tool for a wide range of young people, they have also been invaluable in helping us design the county programme for Anti-Bullying Week.”